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BC Forest Service Firefighter killed near Revelstoke

RIP to the BC firefighter.

But not the last this year.

cabinradio.ca

Fort Liard firefighter passes away, GNWT says

A firefighter from Fort Liard has passed away after being hurt while fighting a wildfire near the community, the NWT government said.
cabinradio.ca cabinradio.ca

Fort Liard firefighter passes away, GNWT says​

A firefighter from Fort Liard has passed away after being hurt while fighting a wildfire near the community, the NWT government said on Sunday.

In a short statement, the territory’s wildfire agency said the man was killed on Saturday afternoon.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and community. We share your deep sorrow at this loss,” the agency stated.

“We send our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy, including wildfire personnel who are committed to protecting their communities and the residents of the NWT.”

Residents in Fort Liard said a tree had fallen on the man while he was working. The man’s identity was not made public by the NWT government.

The territory said family members, RCMP and the coroner’s office had been contacted, and more information would be published when available.
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There are always more out there that don't get the attention....and the number of close calls this year is not good either.

Unfortuantely I'm not surprised by either fatality. One is too many and yet every year more names are added to the memorial wall.
 
Unfortunately, a second firefighter has died while fighting fires, this time in the NWT.

Another Canadian firefighter has died while battling wildfires

Simran Singh Jul 17 2023, 9:58 am

A second Canadian firefighter has died while battling wildfires this past week.

In a release, officials confirmed the firefighter was from Fort Liard, Northwest Territories (NWT).
His identity was not revealed, but the statement did confirm that he “passed away from an injury sustained while fighting a wildfire in the Fort Liard District Saturday afternoon.”

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and community. We share your deep sorrow at this loss. We send our deepest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy, including wildfire personnel who are committed to protecting their communities and the residents of the NWT,” stated officials.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the incident on Sunday, stating he was “incredibly saddened by the news from the Northwest Territories that another firefighter has lost their life battling wildfires.”

“To their family, their friends, and those they were heroically serving alongside: Canadians are keeping you in our thoughts. We’re here for you,” he said.

The tragic news comes after a 19-year-old female wildland firefighter died last week while trying to clear brush within a remote area where a small fire had started in Revelstoke, BC.
She has since been identified as Devyn Gale. Her brother, Nolan, paid tribute to her on Instagram over the weekend.

“Yesterday, while working a fire, my sister Devyn was struck by a tree and killed. Devyn was an amazing sister. She was so kind and thoughtful,” he stated in the caption.

“She was careful, considerate, hardworking. She was smarter and better at what she did than she gave herself credit for. I’m so grateful to have grown up beside her. I’m grateful for everything she’s done for me and others, completely out of kindness with no expectation for reciprocation.”
There are 379 active wildfires in BC and 89 active wildfires in the NWT.

On Friday, July 14, Canadian Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced that the federal government approved a request for the Canadian Armed Forces to assist firefighters and emergency management in BC.
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Link
 
They are not the only ones hit this year....just the only fatalities. There's also been an individual in Alberta who last I'd heard was in a coma and again was an experienced firefighter and then there are those who were injured and didn't make the news...again this year alone.


Unfortunately chainsaw work is dangerous at the best of times. Now do it on trees with burned out roots (i.e. not stable), cracked or burnt from fire and maybe burning inside...it's a whole seperate skill set. While you can occasionally call in heavy equipment to push things over in much of the country it's not an option.

I would note that while the BC firefighter was relatively new the NWT firefighter was an experienced person with several years of work and cut firewood for winter employment. Most firefighters I know of that have been injured in fact have been experienced folks, in some cases instructors, and yet bad things still happen. Limbs fall on folks, footing slips, drop the tree and it sweeps a second tree which breaks off and flies back at the guy in the safe zone, wind gusts...and then add in heat/stress/fatigue/pressure to drop things fast and there's not many second chances.

Each major injury is investigated in each province but wildland firefighting is not a "safe" job and every season I go into it expecting to see in the news additional fatalities - aircraft crashes, vehicle driving crashes, heart attacks, allergic shock, trees and very very very rarely...a fire related event. Bad things happen despite all the controls we try to install and training you can provide but every day it's important to connect with family and try to get everyone home safe.
 
Well stated. Our son has been in the Prince George area as a Wildland Firefighter for a contracted company. He reports there is a consistent emphasis on safety within his team and with the other groups on site. My concern is the early morning transit to the scene or the trip back after a 12 hour day,
 
RangerRay said:
Another one. This time it’s an Ontario firefighter killed on a fire in BC. :(

globalnews.ca

Ontario firefighter dies while helping battle biggest wildfire in B.C. history | Globalnews.ca

A firefighter has been killed while working a wildfire in the Prince George Fire Centre on Friday, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
globalnews.ca globalnews.ca

Up until this year, it was pretty rare to see fatalities in ground based wildfire crews in Canada.
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True. The article said he was working for a private company, so training might be an issue. I assume out-of-province government fire crews are assisting government efforts, not private.

A former neighbour ia a professional firefighter and says a lot of the community college kids taking fire services courses (or whatever they are called) are taking wildland fire jobs for money, experience and CV entries.

Or it could be more a matter of numbers. Sad to hear in any case.
 
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